District 26
Chapter 1 Ellowene's POV My eyelids flutter open to the bright, illuminating light. My torn wings, cut at my hair line. They were supposed to be beautiful, but turned out to be a terrible tan, with black spots. I am smarter than most people too, but I get flashes and I pass out. I don't know why I joined the military, maybe to avenge my terrible disaster of a makeover. Maybe because I needed to make sure no one else got this fate. I don't know really, just something I needed to fight for. I drag my awful wings, drooping from sleeping for ten hours. People stop and stare, thinking I chose this...not. "Hello Ellowene," Someone yells from an upper bunk. I wave to the direction the voice came from and decide to get my schedule. Training and meeting my team. Just great. I pull my black hair, with green highlights and try to walk back to the training room. Did I mention, I don't have to eat? Something they didn't mess up. "Welcome," Alisha, my trainer smiles. I smile back, but it melts to a frown when I notice my wings a still drooping. I pull them up, and smile in approval. "This is your team," Alisha grins. She extends her arm to my teammates. Some boys, I'm the only girl. Wonderful. "Now, time for weapon training," Alisha says. "Ellowene, you go first." My mouth gapes, in front of them? I don't think so. The boys start snickering. I glare at them. I pick up a shotgun and load it. I look at the target through the scope, making a little dot where I want to shoot. I let go of the trigger, the silver bullet piercing the dummy's heart. Some gape, I don't really care. I drop the gun, and feel my legs buckle. Not again. My head spins. I topple to the ground like a ton of bricks. My eyes shut, and I'm gone. I can't believe it, at the worst time possible too. Chapter 2 Ellowene's POV I wake up with a start. It feels like lightning shot through my body. I jump up, my team staring. How long have I been out? I don't know. I move my hand up to my hair, feeling something wet and sticky. I take my hands off and look down. Their slick with blood. I must of hit the ground hard. I shake my head and wobble up the steps to my team. They all look at me like I'm alien..I basically am. Not like anyone cares. It's not their problem right? I guess not. It's my problem. And I need to fight for it. I am a mistake. I was sucked up into those trends, the wings, endless age, etc. I asked the doctors for those glorious wings and being smarter. But they messed up, just like what happened to most of the people. And they made me the emotionally fragile person I am today. Because of them, I have awful nightmares every night and no one to comfort me. Because of them, I look revolting and get those freaking flashes. And I'll hate them forever for what they have done to me. "Come on, gather yourself," I mumble softly. I try to smile when I meet my trainer, and she frowns in disapproval, exactly, why don't everybody do this? "You need to get cleaned up, when you're done, go to weaponry to choose your defenses." I smile and nod, heading over to the showers. I love taking showers. It feels like all the mistakes and scars are wiped off of my body. I start the cold water, and promise myself I won't stay too long. I cleanse myself, grab my towel, wrap it around my body and hop out. I close the shower door, but can't help but noticing the scary pool of water and blood going down the drain. I put my clothes back on. I comb my black hair with my fingers. I then sigh, now to weaponry, where I get me weapons I'll carry. Then I'll need my suit and off to war I go, never to be seen again. When I get to the door, guards are standing by. "Who are you?" They ask. "Ellowene, now let me go in," I start to lose my patience. "I'm in the military?" They snicker and I narrow my eyes. I don't care how disgusting I look, I'm going in. "No way," They laugh. I punch them in the noses, not knowing how hard I can punch. I just broke their noses, blood is gushing out. I open the doors, everyone looks at the guards. I look back and smile as if nothing happened. "So, where's the weapons?" Chapter 3 Ellowene's POV Alisha leads me down to where my teammates are, but holds in a laugh very, very badly. She snickers, like the pop of a cannon. I try to act calm, for my teammates are going to watch my every move. Alisha gathers herself when we reach my team as if nothing happened. She looks sternly at each and everyone of us. "Today is your last day here," She begins. "So I want each one of you to pick a weapon." She gestures towards the wall where all the guns are. "Then, come over here so I can test you with a weapon." "Once everyone is done, we'll get our armor. Any questions?" Everybody shakes their heads. "OK, you may begin." Boys run over to the most lethal weapons. I want one that works and I can shoot with, not how many bad ways I can kill a person. I eye all the guns, blue, silver, gold and other beautiful colors. After what seems like years of choosing, I decide with a silver one, it can shoot bullets or laser beams, good one to keep in mind. That gun was nowhere near as deadly as those other weapons. I walk over across the room, heading towards to the testing area. "It's about time she showed up," Someone grumbles. I roll my eyes. I hold the gun downwards, shaking it impatiently. "Next!" Alisha yells. Oh crap. I load my gun with these tiny bullets, but their thick little things. "Shoot as accurately as you can." I bring up my gun, aiming at the first target. I breathe, focusing on that black dot. I place my fingers in front of the trigger and bam! Right through the middle. Again and again, until my trainer tells me to stop. "You passed," She smiles. I'm the last one, so I don't have to wait to go to armory. I follow Alisha to the room, her dainty keys jingling with every step. When we reach the door, she takes her keys and unlocks the door. It swings open to a huge room. " Everyone has a specific suit to wear to battle. If you need any help finding yours let me know." Alisha strolls around the room, pointing out the special features in every suit. I know what mine is. It has coverings for my wings, my awful wings, that I have to drag into battle. It's remarkable though. The subtle green of the jumpsuit is light and not itchy. It has black strip that go from my ankle all the way to my hips. I have black coverings for my wings so I can still fly, but their not as hideous as the real ones. I have a helmet with attached sunglasses. I have black lace up combat boots, great for running. I look in awe, I can't believe that's my suit. My amazing suit. With that gun, I'm invincible. "I see you found your suit," Alisha chuckles. I smile. "So does my have any special abilities?" I ask. She looks around, "Don't tell anybody, but you can come invisible." I gasp. That could come in handy when I pass out. What if I pass out...what if. Now I'm worried. Chapter 4 Ellowene's POV "Hurry up," My trainer calls to us. We aboard the plane, looking like total idiots, with guns, boots and helmets. "Your commander will meet you there," She smiles. Alisha waves goodbye and walks away, shaking her head and mumbling to herself. The last goodbye. Ever. The plane rumbles to life as if on cue. I take my seat, while all the others are pushing and shoving. I take out some water from the cooler beside me. I sip it, as the plane is starting to go higher and higher. My ears pop, giving me an instant headache, again right on cue. Someone's kicking my seat, what a five year old. I flip my hair around, "Hey what gives?" I yell at him. "I don't know,," He says. I glare at him. Stupid. I put my gun in the back pocket of the seat in front of me. There's nothing to do. I stare at the clouds, the pink sky and the golden sun. I wish I could be far away from this, everybody, everything. I stare out there for hours on end. When I'm about to yell "When the heck will you land this plane!" The windows are shuttered. A black cover that I can't open or close. "We're almost there," A voice says over an intercom. Some people cheer, no that was one person and that was me, awkwardly. The plane dips down, getting lower and lower. I grab my gun and wait. The plane skids to a stop on the ground. "Now you may exit." I thank God that was over. A man..another one? Ugh. He's tall and muscular. He has to be thirty years old. "I am so glad you can make it," He says in a booming voice. "Now you may be wondering where we're at," He says, extending his arm to showcase the scenery. It's a forest, with a little trail of brown the curves through. "Here?" Someone asks. He nods. "You'll be fighting here." "We could go into battle any minute, so keep your eyes open. I hold my gun, ready to shoot anyone in my way. The leaves crunch in agony, the owls cry of night. It's getting dark. "Shouldn't we make camp?" I ask. The commander nods. He hands us all a sleeping bag. That's it, nothing fancy, I sigh and crawl in, making my wings tucked in the back of my body. "Goodnight," I whisper. I wake up with a start. "Everyone get everything, it's time for battle." Against who? Hmm, enemies? Oh yeah, the doctor's side. Wonderful. But battle, now? I can't. I'll try though. I open my wings and load my gun. Ready for payback? I smirk. I run into the battleground, quick at my feet, black boots flying. I shoot some people with my gun. A couple fall down, killed on the spot. One has knives and a gun. Why knives? He takes one and throws it at me. I see good aim. He hits me almost in the eye. I take my gun, see him through the scope and shoot him right in the eye. Blood's gushing into my left eye but I don't care. His eyeball falls out, rolling on the ground. "Nice one," Someone laughs. I hear cries of agony, and I rush over. One person from my team is getting tortured. They're cutting his foot, then his knee. I turn on the laser gun and aim right at the brain. They crumple and he falls down. Oh crap. I just killed two people, only to see the one I tried to save die. Chapter 5 Ellowene's POV "Oh my god," I whisper. His face is falling from the loss of blood. His bloody hands shakily reach my hair. "Your name's Ellowene right?" He asks in very faint voice. I nod, trying not to cry or freaking kill one of those awful people. He strokes my hair, his blood making sticky red streaks in my hair. His eyes are pooling up with tears. He refuses to let one fall. I hate to be the sappy, emotional one. But I always am one in times like this. I look at him straight in the eyes. "I refuse to let someone be like this." I take my gun and march up to the most agonizing person I see. I shoot him five times, foot, arm, stomach, arm and then neck. I look at my teammate. He has shiny eyes. I look at him. He mouths goodbye. I look at him, confused. He picks up a gun. They didn't kill him! His pain is too much to bear. He shoots himself and falls to the ground, his eyes still open. I turn my invisibility on. I don't want anyone to see me. I am stunned. My eyes keep gluing back to the same spot. I look away only to glance back at it again. I look at him, wishing I could yell at him to wake up or finding this was all a dream. But it isn't. It's reality. I sit down and pull my knees to my chest. I make a single tear firm and then I start sobbing. Why didn't I stop him? Why didn't I help? Could I have saved him? I plague myself with these questions. I hate myself. I look ridiculous and I act like it too. What a surprise. I'll hate them forever too. Their stupidity and arrogance is unthinkably high. I hate everyone! Why can't I just not have a care in the world? But that wouldn't be me. I sit there long after the battle is over. Cursing at myself over and over. After a little longer, I stand up, my wings drooping again. No one can see me right? So who cares? I pull my long fingers down my hair. It's dirty, sticky with blood and way too long. I need a haircut. I take my helmet off and throw it on the ground. I need to find a..a knife! I look for that man with the knives. I find one in his belt perfectly clean. I take it and chop off my hair. Now it lies at my ears, but is longer as you go back. Like that hairstyle I've always wanted. I take my helmet. I turn off the invisibility and walk over to camp. "Hi," I wave. Every single person there gapes. "What happened?" Some whisper. "I don't know, but I like it." I look around. These annoying boys I have to help. I'm not sure if I'll like that or not. Chapter 6 Ellowene's POV "Wake up!" Someone yells. "Shut up," I grumble. I pull my pillows over my ears to mute the terrifying noises. "Ellowene!" Another yells. "Be quiet!" I shriek. Some laugh, and before I can comprehend it, some steps on my feet. I wake up, trying to figure who did it. "What do you want?!" I yell, still weary from tiredness. "You to wake up!" Some smile. I throw my pillow at them. "I can't sleep in peace?" I ask. Some shrug and start laughing again. "Ugh, you're so annoying," I complain. I make myself free from the envelope of the sleeping bag. I grab my gun beside me before anyone could take it away from me. "Don't make me use it!" I yell. The boys roll their eyes and move out of my way. "Come on Ellowene, have some fun once in a while," I look at them with glaring eyes, and almost said some nasty words. But I didn't. Who wants to sink down to their level anyway? I grab my wings with my fingernails, both covered in dirt and blood. I look more terrible than I ever did. I look down at the ground kicking dust with my boots. Rocks cover the bottom of the trail. The forest is as lively as ever today. Birds chirping. The steady stream of the lake a few miles ahead. It's music to my ears. Music..music..music... My thoughts fade away, what.... It's futile. My eyelids start blinking back and forth. No! No! No! My thoughts my mind, is collapsing. My eyes close completely and I am lost in a nightmare. "She's perfect to try it with." The doctors whisper to each other. I stay there, trying to move or speak but nothing ever works. They beat me, taking my family, my friends, to the death room. I see them, strapped up to chairs, forced to watch on the screen. While they get stung, battered, shot, cut and decapitated. I stare in horror, and they laugh. And laugh. And laugh. I try to hit them, I came here for a treatment. They give me the treatment, but not the way you think. I became the ugliest person to ever be made by them. "You're a crime," They say. I sit in the corner, hopeless, not able to think without control. Soon after, another nightmare appears. I grab my teammate, him dying in my arms. I look at him, tears in my eyes. He smiles and says, "You deserve to die." He grabs me, his body morphing into the one of my doctors. "You're hopeless. I see my family look at me with angry eyes. "Why did you do this to us?" They scream. I stand there on my knees, hands up, and they drag me away. Like the hopeless freak I am. How I ruined their lives. Sometimes, I wish I never was born. Chapter 7 Ellowene's POV "Ellowene, Ellowene," Voices fade in and out. I look at their blurry faces and try to recognize who it is. "She's alert, you think she can hear us?" "I don't know." I try to nod my head but my body refuses to cooperate. "What happened?" I ask faintly. "Well you hit you're head and... you have a concussion. "My head's spinning," I groan. "Just sit." Someone pats the place where I was laying down. "How can I fight like this?" I ask. "You won't for another week or two." "A week?!" I ask. "What if they start attacking!" I yell. "There's nothing you can do." He sighs. My memory is fried. I can't remember who many people are. I dart my eyes about, trying to find a familiar object. A plant, my gun, our drawer of suits. I groan when they always tell me who they are before they talk about other things. Once they say it, I try to remember but it just goes into the black hole of I could care less. "My name is Alisha," The next voice says. Something makes me want to remember her, but I can't. "Alisha," I mumble, looking at her face, her striking features. Her dark brown eyes with speckles of hazel, her red and brown hair is wavy and falls down to her chin. Her warm skin tone makes me want to remember her so badly. I know this person. "I know you," I whisper. Her eyes widen. Suddenly, it comes into picture. "You were my trainer weren't you?" I ask. She nods, very slowly. "Alisha." I smile. We talk for hours. I don't have a clue who the people were, but she sounded like home. She is the one I remember out of all people. A trainer, perfectly normal unlike me. "I'm not normal Ellowene," She says, reading my thoughts. "None of us are normal." Her gold earrings jingle when she talks. She smiles so brightly, her headscarf tied across her brown hair. She looks so different then what she did in training. "Thanks for coming," I smile. She waves behind her. "You need some rest now, Ellowene," Someone says. I refuse to fight with the voice, and lay down, my feet dangling over the edge. My eyes close instantly. Remembering people is hard work. Category:Army Category:Action